


Scars of a True Knight

by SelenaRogue



Category: Hyakujitsu no Bara | Maiden Rose
Genre: M/M, Morning Cuddles, Reminiscing, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27411616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaRogue/pseuds/SelenaRogue
Summary: Taki finally takes the time to look at Klaus' scars
Relationships: Taki Reizen/Klaus von Wolfstadt
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Scars of a True Knight

Taki lay snuggled close to the warm body beside him. The bed felt like a heaven he never wanted to leave. Stars littered the horizon and shades of blues painted a mural in the sky. Taki's head turned to fit perfectly in the crook of Klaus’ neck. Soft white blankets tangled around them and only added to the comfort Taki felt. Half asleep, he took a deep inhale. He filled his nose with the man’s scent. As he did, the image of wheat fields came to his mind. The golden color springing from the Earth. The slight breeze making each stock sway in sync with one another. It’s one of the best memories he had with Klaus. Laying perfectly still in the tall plants with the sun high above them. The heat making their cheeks turn red. The slight bit of sweat glistening on their brows.

The  scene was almost painful in more ways than one. Physically, it had hurt to look at. The sun made the land look as though it was glowing. It was so  beautiful  he didn’t want to tear his eyes away from it. Taki felt pain blossom in his chest once he finally forced himself to turn the other direction. That would be one of the only times  for a long while  that he would see such beauty. The war was coming. He knew that. There was no possible way to stop it. Lands like this would  be destroyed  by men wanting to claim it, resulting in nothing being able to grow. It would turn into a place no person of his country would want to remember. The ground would  be shredded by bombs and tanks. Trees would burn and plummet to the ground, no longer able to hold themselves as the flames slowly eat away at them. The life would slowly drain from their veins. They would rot away as if they were never there to begin with. Soot would replace the land his people had once walked on. The air itself would only attack your lungs as you struggle to  take  a breath .

Each wheat stock that had been grown to feed hundreds would be snapped off at the base, no longer able to prosper in the now acidic soil. They would become worthless as tanks drove them into the ground. Scars would be carved deep into the Earth and even deeper into the minds of every person who cherished the land and called it their home. The thought terrified Taki, but it only fed his fire to prevent that from ever happening to his country. He couldn’t let that happen to something he loved so dearly.

So then why had he let it happen to Klaus?

The thought woke him up from his sleepy state. He played it back through his head. Klaus got hurt because of him. He had been too late to stop it from happening. It was he who gave the order for Klaus to go into No-Man's Land.

Taki lifted his head and looked over to his left. The sight twisted his heart in every direction. The rough thickened skin on Klaus’ bare chest rose and fell with each breath he took. Like the ground that held Taki up, the beautiful sight was being destroyed by warfare. 

He ran his fingers over the marks on Klaus’ chest and shoulder. Too many scars from that cruel and inappropriate interrogation. The marks of the whip dug into numerous places on Klaus’ body. His chest, his neck, the side of his head. One managed to carve it’s way into his left cheek just below his eye. Some lashes had gone deeper than others. The one on Klaus' right shoulder was particularly horrific. Only the Gods knew how much pain he was in with that one. 

Next, Taki moved his hands to the bullet scars made by Berkut during the No-Man’s Land incident. He could easily cover all three with just a finger each. Bullet scars are different from other types of scars. Rather than rise out of the skin they like to sink in the middle to create almost a bowl like shape with rough edges.

Taki’s eyes continued to trail down Klaus' body until he got to the wrists. They were immensely larger than his own, much stronger too. To someone who would hardly pass a glance, these scars would be easy to miss. Not to him though. It is hard for him _not_ to see them. All the needle marks that infested Klaus’ arms. Taki could almost count how many morphine and antibiotic injections had to be used in order to keep the pain at bay. They made a path the whole way up Klaus' forearm. At least he didn’t lose it to the terrible infection he had gotten. Taki himself saw how bad it was. The puss and blood dripping from the injury wouldn’t normally make him gag. He was a soldier. A _commander_. It is just what happens in war. He has seen it every time he's went to the infirmary. This time, however, it was different. He saw the person he cared most, the strongest person he knew, reduced to lying on a bed. What had Katsuragi said to him? ‘ _As long as he continues to protect you, your knight will be a mass of scars_ ’. It made Taki want to break down and let out every emotion he felt. If only he would have been able to run his sword through Katsuragi's heart. Cut open his chest to see the man’s lungs take in their final labored breath.

Taki was never a man to wish harsh punishment on someone, but Katsuragi was always an exception.

A deep voice startled Taki from his thoughts. “If you wanted to look at my scars you could have just asked me to strip for you.”

With that, Taki withdrew his hands. He stared straight into the golden eyes of his knight. He felt the heat run to his cheeks and ears as they slowly grew red. Turning slightly away, he kept Klaus from seeing him get flustered. Lucky for him the only available light was from the moon. Her rays seeped past the thin curtains and sent oblong shadows across the room.

“I did tell you, didn’t I, that if you were so worried about my body then you could have checked it out for yourself. Remember that?”

Yes, he remembered. It was before their little spar in the training grounds when Taki refused to fight him.

“How long have you been awake?” Taki asked.

Klaus innocently stretched his body only to snake an arm around Taki’s waist and pull him down onto his chest.

“Long enough to know you were feeling me up.” He teased only adding to the embarrassment Taki felt after getting caught.

“Do not mock me.”

“I wasn't tryin’, ” Klaus continued. “Look, I don’t like lookin' at them either. However these scars do serve their purpose.” He paused as if he wanted to continue but had a hard time putting the words together. He looked down at his own body. His hand mimicked where Taki’s had touched. He ran his fingers over his shoulder as if he was remembering the day the scar was put there. He seemed to remember the physical toll it took on his body when the pain became too much to bear. 

He looked to his chest to the bullet marks. Thinking back, he pretty much owes his life to the small book that had been resting in his breast pocket at the time. Yes, Taki was the one that initially brought him back, but if it wasn’t for that book, those bullets would have pierced every chamber of his heart.

“The scars... are a reminder… of who I fight for everyday. And that's why I don't mind hav'n them.”

He turned his head in Taki’s direction. A large smile crossed his lips as he waited for his master’s response.

“They are the scars of a true knight," Taki said, "Fighting for me whatever the cost.”

He stroked Taki’s cheek. “Exactly. And that is what I will do even after this war is over. I ain't going anywhere.”

"Is that something you can truly promise me?"

Klaus took Taki's hand and brushed his lips over his knuckles. "On my title as your knight."

Taki prayed they both would make it long enough to see the end of this war, and prayed they wouldn't meet the same fate as so many others. Snapped off like the stem of a wheat stock or fallen like the trees kissed by fire.

"I'll hold you to that promise, my knight."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Feed back and constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> I want to thank my friend as well for helping me on this story. She knows who she is. :)
> 
> Please join her Maiden Rose discord. We always love to get new members.  
> https://discord.com/channels/540321933644922881/540321933644922884


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